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指北針

简指北针 · 繁指北針

Mandarin · pinyin zhǐ běi zhēn

compass

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Characters in this entry

指: zhǐ · finger, toe; point, indicate
北: běi · north; northern; northward
針: Look up this written character
针: zhēn · needle; pin; tack; acupuncture

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–3–1 · zhi3 bei3 zhen1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

指北針 · find source passages ↗ · 指北针 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi2 bak1 zam1

Cantonese word readings for 指北針. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

compass
(Liuqiu Hokkien) luopan (Chinese magnetic compass)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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